Still image from the short film, Water's Way

In 2018, our own Tom Gigliotti returned home to make his short film, Walter’s Way.  He is part of an increasing number of film and television productions that have been looking at and shooting in Brantford. The industry in Ontario is growing rapidly and contributed nearly $1.6 billion to the economy in 2017. While large productions generate the lion’s share of this figure, small and independent projects are breaking new ground and providing the opportunity for creative professionals to hone their skills. Both massive and micro projects are tapping into Brantford, bringing with them talent and investment to our community.

Tom, a Brantfordian now living and working in Toronto, took some time to discuss his independent production and share some insights into applying one’s creative trade in Brantford. 

Q:  You grew up in Brantford. Tell us a bit about your background.

Born and raised in Brantford, it was at Grandview Public School that the first spark of filmmaking passion was lit. The school owned a home video camcorder for capturing events, etc. For some reason, they let us use it! We would often spend recess acting out scenes from movies we loved and recording them. Of course, we had no way to capturing a copy of what we recorded, so those first films are lost to us now! My highschool years were spent at North Park. North Park had an incredible Communications Technology program and I took all the related classes. In my final year at North Park, I took a ‘writer’s craft’ class. One of the assignments was to write a screenplay and film it. My filmmaking partner, Nhat Nguyen and I, produced a spy-thriller that we poured our heart and soul into for the assignment. It was that filmmaking process that really solidified our passion for the craft and is how we determined film to be our career path. Almost 10 years later, we would return to our hometown to finish our film school thesis film at the place where it all began.

Q:  How did the community shape and support your love for film?

When Nhat and I were both applying to Ryerson University for their film program, we were required to film a 90 second short film as an application for the program. Both still living in the Brantford at the time, we filmed both of our shorts in the city. The support from the members of the community was exceptional. We shot in gyms and restaurants. The owners were always more than happy to accommodate any request we had! Not only did that support allow us to more easily make the films, it allowed us to make the films better!

Q:  You are currently showcasing Walter’s Way in film festivals across Canada and the US.  Tell us about the film.

With our film, we wanted to give a voice to a sector of society that has had their voice taken away. Thankfully, I was lucky enough to have a powerhouse team behind me.  It was led by my good friend and producing partner, Leandro Amorim-Downie. Walter’s Way is a 17 minute short film about an elderly man who struggles to come to terms with the loss of his license and his ability to drive.

It has been such an immense journey sharing a project like Walter’s Way with audiences. We’ve been honoured and lucky enough to win a handful of awards at festivals across Canada and the United States as we continue to share our film. It’s been humbling to see how audiences latched onto our film and gave it such a warm reception. That came as a surprise to all of us at first; but was a welcome one for sure.

the Brantford set of the short film, "Walter's Way"

Q:  How did Brantford play a role in the production of the film?

We shot two very crucial scenes of our film in Brantford. The first scene was at the iconic Branford ice-cream parlor, Dairee Delite. The idea was to create a scene that looked like it belonged in the 1950’s. We reached out to a local classic car club in Brantford expressing interest in using a 1950’s style car for use in our film. Denis Jacob responded to our call for help and offered us the use of his 1958 Buick Special. The scene was set perfectly. We had a 1950’s car and a 1950’s looking location. Sarah Disher at Dairee Delite was so happy to have us filming at her location. On the night of Saturday, March 24th, 2018, a crew of about 12 shot on location at Dairee Delite from sundown to about 3 in the morning. It was frigid, but worth it! We had many people drive by, stop and examine what was going on. We even had our photo featured in the Brantford Expositor the following Tuesday!

The second location was on the following day. We shot a scene with the 1958 Buick Special parked in the garage of the late Syd Bolton. He was a close friend of mine during the time of the shoot. I met Syd when I first visited his Personal Computer Museum almost 14 years ago. Since then, Syd, Nhat and I remained close and worked on other projects. Syd was more than happy to offer the use of the double wide garage at the museum. Denis parked his car in the garage and we spent all of Sunday capturing the scenes we needed.

Everyone we encountered was so gracious, understanding and helpful towards our production. There is no way the film would turned to be the success it was without the generosity of these Brantfordians!

Q:  From your perspective, what makes Brantford a unique place for film and creative projects?

Brantford is a unique place for film and creative projects because of the variety of aesthetics you can find scattered throughout the city. For example, I wrote a scene for my film specifically because I knew I could find the location (Dairee Delite) I needed in Brantford. There is a range of classical and Victorian style architecture as well as modern structures. There is access to forests, rivers, fields, train tracks, etc. It has everything that a filmmaker like myself would look for.

There’s also the people who are very kind, warm and welcoming. You tell them you are working on a film and their eyes light up with joy and curiosity. They want to know everything about, they want to help, they want to watch! Also, being only an hour outside of Toronto, where all the major equipment rental houses are, it makes it so easy to transport gear, crew and cast from a major film hub like Toronto.

Q:  What opportunities and challenges do you see for independent filmmakers in Ontario today?

My producer can speak volumes to this. A large challenge for young and independent filmmakers coming up in Ontario is funding. Although there are a variety of funding bodies and art grants available, it’s difficult for relatively unknown artists at the forefront of their career to build a budget sustainable enough to hire the crew to make a production possible with these grants. 

It is often argued that filmmaking is now more accessible and cheaper than ever with the advent of the camera phone and digital photography. However, there’s a leap and a bound between a couple of friends making a film in high school, and a couple of friends entering their adult lives who have bills to pay and have to take off of work to make their dreams come true while staying afloat.

Funding aside, my advice to those entering their careers, and even those well into them, is to let ego fall to the wayside, and support your peers in any way possible. The crew on Walter’s Way was made up of loving, hardworking, and talented young creatives who gave their all without an ego in sight on set or at any other point in the production process. Those are the type of people independent filmmakers need in their circles.

the Brantford set of the short film, "Walter's Way"

Q:  Your work and story can be an inspiration to others who share your passion.  What advice can you share for aspiring filmmakers and creative dreamers in Brantford?

It’s easier now to make a film than ever before. Every phone has a camera on it. It’s advice that you hear all the time, but it’s true and always worth repeating. If you want to make films, you just have to go out there and make them. It’s that simple. Find the time, and don’t worry about them being ‘perfect’. The first film you make, the first script you write will always be something you look back on and say “I can’t believe I made THAT”. You get back. It gets easier. It’s cliche to say, but the only way you will be able to make a career out of filmmaker is it just keep making films. No matter how bad they are, they will get better!

Reach out to the city, to your neighbours. Ask for help. If you don’t ask, the answer will always be “No”. People are more willing to help creative people than you may think. It’s human nature to have a love for stories. If you are young, find out if your high-school has film or writing related classes. It’s the best way to find others who share your passion, and learn from people who have done it before.

Q:  Looking at the future, how could Brantford play a part in your future film productions?

I am taking a bit of a break after finishing school and taking Walter’s Way around to festivals. In the near future I will work on my next film, hopefully a feature length production. With that being said, I will be looking for opportunities to incorporate the unique locations found in Brantford into the next project I work on.

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You can watch the trailer for Walter's Way on Vimeo.

 

the Brantford set of the short film, "Walter's Way"

the Brantford set of the short film, "Walter's Way"

the Brantford set of the short film, "Walter's Way"